Department for Transport

Railways: Electrification

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 July 2017, on rail update, HCWS85, if he will publish the evidential basis for the claim that it is no longer necessary to electrify every line to achieve the same significant improvements to journeys.

Paul Maynard: On 20 July 2017 the Transport Secretary made clear that new technology – in particular the availability of bi-mode technology – meant we no longer need to electrify every part of every line in order to improve journeys for passengers.Bi-mode trains, such as those operating on the Great Western main line, offer seamless transfer from diesel power to electric, undetectable to passengers. This technology allows us to bring passengers the benefits of more comfortable, fast journeys with more capacity, more quickly using innovative trains without disruptive electrification works taking place.

Railways: Electrification

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 July 2017, on rail update, HCWS85, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of (a) commissioning and (b) maintaining (i) electric trains which would have been used on the lines which no longer will be electrified and (ii) the bi-mode trains which will now be used on those lines in pence per vehicles mile.

Paul Maynard: The precise commissioning and maintenance costs of trains depends on the model of the trains assumed. The Government has been clear that it will electrify lines where it delivers both genuine benefits to passengers and value to the taxpayer. In considering the change in its approach to improving rail services, the Government considered a number of factors, including the value for money of the available options. While bi-modes may be more expensive to operate than electric trains, they provide greater flexibility for operators when developing their timetables and increases the rolling stock resilience in response to disruption. Bi-modes allow us to take advantage of state of the art technology to improve journeys for passengers by reducing the up-front capital costs of infrastructure because wires and gantries do not need to be installed along entire routes.

Railways: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce rail journey times between York and Harrogate.

Paul Maynard: The Government has no current plans to reduce rail journey times between York and Harrogate. However, rail services between York and Harrogate will benefit from other improvements to be delivered by the new Northern franchise. As part of the Great North Rail Project and the new North and Transpennine Express franchises, there will be improved services across the north by 2020. This includes four trains per hour each way between Leeds, Horsforth and Harrogate from 7am to 7pm and evening services enhanced. In line with our devolution policies, it is for the York North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and relevant local transport authorities to decide whether such improvements are a priority to address the needs of their area and to secure appropriate funding. The LEP and partners are working on a business case for improvements to this line.

Network Rail: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) BAME people, (b) disabled people and (c) women work for Network Rail.

Paul Maynard: The information requested are in the tables below. GenderHeadcountPercentageFemale638416.48% The ethnicity and disability figures below represent the voluntary response of employees as these fields are not mandatory to complete on joining or working for Network Rail: Declared DisabilityHeadcountPercentageYes4301.11%Not Answered2292459.18%Prefer not to disclose2820.73%No1510038.98%Grand Total38736100.00% EthnicityHeadcountPercentageBAME30267.81%Not Answered36709.47%Not Declared6561.69%White3138481.02%Grand Total38736100.00%

Railway Stations: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which railway stations do not have step-free access.

Paul Maynard: Information on the accessibility facilities available at individual stations, including step free access arrangements, is collected and held by the Rail Delivery Group and published on the National Rail Enquiries website. If any disabled passenger is unable to use a particular station the train operating company is obliged to arrange alternative transport at no additional cost.

Network Rail: Assets

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the financial return to the public purse from the sale of Network Rail land and assets in each year since 2010.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail’s annual profit on sale of properties since 2010 is as follows: Financial Year2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Profit*£0.31m£12m£27m£36m£37m£32m£69m£64m * All values are net sales income after deducting selling costs and any acquisition costs in line with Network Rail’s accounting policies.

Network Rail: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people aged (a) under 20, (b) 21 to 30, (c) 31 to 40, (d) 41 to 50, (e) 51 to 60 and (f) over 61-years old work for Network Rail.

Paul Maynard: The information requested is in the table below. Age BandHeadcountPercentage Split20 And Under5081.31%21-30695717.96%31-40893123.06%41-501067127.55%51-60958824.75%61+20815.37%Grand Total38736100.00%

Railways: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) people, (b) BAME people and (c) women work for each train operating company.

Paul Maynard: Statistics on the total number of employees by Train Operating Company in the financial year 2016-17 are published by the Office of Rail and Road and given in the below table: Train Operating CompanyTotal number of employeesArriva Trains Wales2,169c2c652Caledonian Sleeper142Chiltern843CrossCountry1,854East Midlands Trains2,262Govia Thameslink Railway7,129Grand Central153Great Western Railway6,105Greater Anglia2,903London Midland2,563London Overground1,413Merseyrail1,325Northern5,687ScotRail4,907Southeastern4,362South West Trains5,055TfL Rail754Transpennine Express1,111Virgin Trains East Coast3,294Virgin Trains West Coast3,510 There is no further information available on the ethnicity or gender of employees across train operating companies.

Department for Transport: Advertising

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Network Rail, (b) Transport for London, (c) his Department, (d) Transport for the North and (e) Rail North have spent on advertising in each year since 2009-10.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail, Transport for London, the Department for Transport and Transport for the North carry out a range of different legislative and operational functions. The expenditure on advertising will reflect those functions. Network Rail and Transport for London have direct operational responsibility for transport networks and need to inform and advise users of those networks. The Department for Transport has national strategic, regulatory, operational and enforcement responsibilities. The role of Transport for the North is to provide a strategic transport vision for the North of England. Network Rail Network Rail’s expenditure on advertising focuses on public information campaigns including: level crossing safety campaigns; travel disruption information; and apprentice and graduate recruitment. Figures are in the table below. It includes spending across its network. Financial YearMedia Buying Spend Value2009/2010Not known2010/2011£1,865,5742011/2012£3,446,6792012/2013£2,863,7742013/2014£1,476,8052014/2015£3,210,6422015/2016£714,4982016/2017£915,154 Transport for London We do not hold figures for the amount Transport for London has spent on advertising. Department for Transport The central Department for Transport’s spend reflects its national role and the mix of responsibilities: Organisation2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Department for Transport Central£1,999,946£810,450£688,272£712,091£2,788,957£977,343£2,478,424£597,449£799,416 N.B.These figures reflect the change in policy in regards to paid-for advertising introduced by the Coalition Government following the May 2010 General Election.Transport for the North Transport for the North is responsible for the development of a long term, strategic transport vision for its region. It does therefore not have network management responsibilities, nor the advertising requirements that come with them. The figures below are therefore not comparable as the spending serves very different functions. The figures below cover spending by TfN on the advertising of vacancies required as the organisation has developed to take on its strategic transport planning role.  Expenditure2015/16No data2016/17£25k2017/18£25k Rail North We do not hold information about the expenditure of Rail North Ltd on advertising.

Bus Services: Closures

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many supported bus service routes have been (a) downgraded or (b) withdrawn in each NUTS 1 region of England in each year since 2009-10.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not collect any information on the number of bus service routes in operation.

Transport: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has (a) allocated and (b) plans to allocate to (i) Transport for London, (ii) Transport for the North and (iii) Rail North in each year from 2012-13 to 2020-21.

Jesse Norman: There is no proper direct comparison to be drawn between these organisations in relation to funding. The Mayor of London is elected by the residents of London and exercises wide authority for transport strategy and operations across multiple modes, including strategic roads. There is no single elected position with the same or similar mandate in the North of England. To create such a role would require taking powers from the Metro Mayors of Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and the Tees Valley, as well as the various local authorities in the North. Transport for the North (TfN) and their constituent members have made clear that they do not intend this to happen. TfN's important role is to provide a strategic transport vision for the North. The functions of Rail North, under a March 2015 partnership agreement with the Department for Transport, are to co-manage the Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises, and to advise the Department for Transport on the development and delivery of its rail enhancement programme in the North of England.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total value of spending for projects in the 2015 to 2020 Road Investment Strategy is in each NUTS1 region of England and Wales.

Jesse Norman: The Road Investment Strategy first published in December 2014 provides regional breakdowns of investment in this Road Investment Period.

Roads: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the six major road schemes in the 2015-2020 Road Investment Strategy that Highways England is pausing, how many of those schemes are in northern England, broken down by NUTS 1 region; and if he will commit to resuming all six of those schemes at a future date.

Jesse Norman: Of the six major road schemes that require further assessment, three schemes are in northern England. One of the schemes is in the North West, and two of the schemes are in the North East. These schemes have been held for further review and consideration as part of the future Road Investment Strategy planning process. All schemes in the Road Investment Strategy are kept under review to ensure value for money. It is appropriate to hold schemes that do not present best value for money so that they can be re-examined and other potential solutions explored in order to address particular issues on the network.

Roads: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the 16 major road schemes in the 2015-2020 Road Investment Strategy that Highways England is delaying are in northern England, broken down by NUTS 1 region.

Jesse Norman: Of the sixteen schemes moving back within the Road Investment Strategy Period 1, two schemes are in northern England.They are:M60 Junction 24-27 and Junctions 1-4 Smart Motorways in the North West; andA1 Birtley to Coal House widening in Yorkshire and the North East.Five out of the ten schemes being brought forward are in Northern England.

Oxford Station

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on the redevelopment of Oxford railway station.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no recent discussions with stakeholders on the redevelopment of Oxford Station. New platforms have been added at Oxford station to accommodate new Chiltern Railways services between Oxford and London Marylebone via High Wycombe. The Department continues to work with the station promoters including Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Great Western Railway and Network Rail, as the plans for the redevelopment of Oxford Station and the surrounding area are developed.

Great Western Railway: Rolling Stock

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the performance of bi-mode Class 800 trains on the Great Western route.

Paul Maynard: The first four Intercity Express bi-modes trains entered in to passenger service on the Great Western Mainline on 16 October 2017. Since introduction, the bi-mode trains have generally performed well with positive feedback from passengers and staff. As can happen with new fleet introduction a small number of issues have arisen which are being actively managed by Great Western Railway and Hitachi Rail Europe. So far the four trains have added over 5000 extra seats per week into and out of London. This will progressively increase as more trains are gradually introduced between now and the end of 2018.

Railways: North of England

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department has given to Transport for the North for the location of the (a) line and (b) stations on the Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Paul Maynard: The March 2015 document “The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North” was jointly produced by Government, Northern city regions and local enterprise partnerships. That outlined a shared vision for rail services across the North designed to radically improve journey times and frequencies between major cities to support a single economy. The document also noted that projects in the northern transport strategy will need to offer good value for taxpayer’s money. This provides the backdrop for development of the northern powerhouse rail network. Work since 2015 has identified that as well as city centre to city centre services, there could be cases where serving locations between the cities could enhance the business case for investment and so be beneficial. It is for Transport for the North to come forward with proposals that respond to the vision and have a positive business case. We look forward to receiving those proposals next year.

East Coast Railway Line

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the economic value of the East Coast Main Line to the UK economy.

Paul Maynard: The Department has not made an assessment of the economic value of the East Coast Mainline as a whole. However, the impact of improvements to East Coast Mainline services are considered as part of their appraisal, including any wider impacts on the UK economy. The East Coast Mainline is a critical service supporting economic activity, connecting cities and businesses across England and Scotland.

East Coast Railway Line

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what enhancement projects are planned for the East Coast Main Line in Control Period 6 in order to accommodate the forecast growth in passengers using that line.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport is committed to improving journey for passengers along the East Coast Main Line in Control Period (CP6: 2019-2024) both through infrastructure works and the introduction of improved trains. From December 2018, new Intercity Express Trains will increase the number of seats along the East Coast Main Line. As these new trains continue to be introduced they will reduce journey times, increase capacity and improve the customer experience. The Statement of Funds Available for CP6 includes funding to continue to take forward the enhancements that now span both Control Period 5 (CP5: 2014-2019) and CP6, including schemes on the East Coast to improve capacity and reduce journey times. In line with the new process for enhancements these schemes will continue to be subject to ongoing consideration to ensure they deliver the best results for both rail users and taxpayers. We need to ensure investment best addresses the needs of passengers and freight, and that funding commitments appropriately reflect the stage of development of enhancements. This is why we’ll be using a new process to take forward enhancements. The new process will ensure that enhancements are only committed for development, design or delivery when they have been properly worked through, to avoid the problems of the past, where schemes were committed to too early. We will confirm the specific infrastructure enhancements are committed at which stage in due course.

East Coast Railway Line

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the expected increase in passengers using the East Coast Main Line over the next 10 years.

Paul Maynard: The forecasts used as part of the recent case for investment in East Coast Main Line enhancements for passengers using inter city services equates to approximately 22% growth over the next 10 years. Demand forecasts are frequently updated and reviewed by both the Department and Network Rail as part of the long term planning process.

East Coast Railway Line

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 6, published on 12 October 2017, how much of the £47.9 billion of Network Rail expenditure will be allocated to investment in the upgrade of the East Coast Main Line.

Paul Maynard: The Statement of Funds Available set out that we assumed expenditure of £47.9bn across the network for Control Period 6. This funding is to be focused on delivering what passengers and businesses want: a dependable railway, with an increased focus on punctuality and reliability. It also includes funding to continue to take forward the enhancements that now span both Control Period 5 (CP5: 2014-2019) and CP6, including to improve capacity and reduce journey times on the East Coast. We need to ensure investment best addresses the needs of passengers and freight, and that funding commitments appropriately reflect the stage of development of enhancements. We will confirm through the new process for enhancements the precise levels of funding to achieve these outcomes and will confirm the specific infrastructure enhancements committed at which stage in due course.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: North of England

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the planned £300 million infrastructure spending to connect Northern towns and cities with High Speed 2 will be allocated for strategic planning purposes in addition to certification purposes.

Paul Maynard: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave the Hon Member for Leigh on the 7 November 2017 (UIN 110675).

Railways: North of England

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110675, whether the announced £300 million of infrastructure spending related to Northern Powerhouse Rail will be devolved directly to Transport for the North.

Paul Maynard: The £300m of funding announced by my RHF the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the direct costs of making passive provision on HS2 for junctions which would allow HS2 infrastructure to accommodate potential future Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Connect services. We anticipate that this passive provision would be a matter for Parliamentary approval through the relevant HS2 Hybrid Bill in due course. Responsibility for the design and construction of HS2 lies with HS2 Ltd who will be funded to undertake this work.

Railways: North of England

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110552, what discussions his Department has had with Transport for the North on connecting Leigh to the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Paul Maynard: The vision for Northern Powerhouse Rail is being developed in line with the 2015 Northern Transport Strategy developed jointly by the Government and Transport for the North. The Department has regular discussions with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and we look forward to receiving their proposals next year. We understand that Transport for the North favours using HS2 as a core part of the NPR between Manchester and Liverpool, thus integrating HS2 and NPR and maximising use of the HS2 investment. Based on the HS2 route, that would preclude NPR services being routed via Leigh. However, as part of the development of HS2, Leigh’s closest station, Wigan North Western, will be served by HS2 trains following completion of HS2 Phase One in 2026, and by 2033 will be served by HS2 trains from London, Birmingham, Preston and Scotland. This will benefit Leigh residents. In addition the Government has provided Greater Manchester Combined Authority with £2.5m to develop HS2 Growth Strategies, which include plans for improving connectivity across Greater Manchester to the planned HS2 stations. Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester are advancing their wider plans for connectivity across the city region through their Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy.

Railways: North West

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Transport for the North on the route of the proposed Liverpool to Manchester line of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

Paul Maynard: The Department works closely with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), not least because the Government is funding the work on this issue. Through this work, the Department recognises the advantage of using HS2 as a core part of the NPR network between Manchester and Liverpool, thus integrating HS2 and NPR and maximising use of the HS2 investment. That is why the £300m announced by my RHF the Chancellor of the Exchequer in October includes passive provision for junctions to enable such links. Transport for the North are considering options arising from the potential HS2 junction to Liverpool which offer good value for taxpayers’ money. We look forward to receiving NPR proposals next year.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Mobile Homes

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for part 2 his Department's review of park homes legislation.

Alok Sharma: I plan to publish Part 2 of the review of the effectiveness of the Mobile Homes Act 2013 later this year.

Mobile Homes

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if the Government will publish the recommendations made by the Park Homes Working Group set up in 2015.

Alok Sharma: I plan to publish the Park Homes Working Group’s report and Part 2 of the review of the effectiveness of the Mobile Homes Act 2013 later this year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Renewable Energy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to prioritise the use of clean, renewable energy over traditional energy sources; and what steps are being taken to avoid wind farms being turned off and constraint payments made.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



 The Clean Growth strategy (CGS) announced on the 12th October, set out the government’s ambitious strategy to cut emissions while keeping costs down for consumers, creating good jobs and growing the economy. This includes a strategy of decarbonisation to deliver our goals of meeting our carbon budgets in a secure clean and affordable way. In 2016, renewables share of total generation was nearly 25% of UK electricity generation, and we are on track to meet our ambition of delivering 30% of the UK’s electricity from renewables in 2020-21. The latest Contracts for Difference round announced on 11 September secured a further 3.3GW of renewable electricity, enough to power 3.6 million homes. This will see a saving of 5.4 million tonnes of carbon a year, the equivalent of the average annual carbon emissions from 2.8 million cars. The Clean Growth Strategy (CGS) also announced: improving the route to market for renewable technologies such as offshore wind by making up to £557 million for further Pot 2 Contract for Difference auctions, with the next one planned for spring 2019; working with industry as they develop an ambitious Sector Deal for offshore wind, which could result in 10 gigawatts of new capacity, with the opportunity for additional deployment if this is cost effective, built in the 2020s;In addition, spending on the Renewable Heat Incentive schemes will rise from £430 million in 2015-16 to £1.15 billion in 2020-21, and following the recent government consultation the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation level will be increasing to 9.75% in 2020, rising to 12.4% in 2032. Whilst we do not consider constraint payments to be inherently wrong, the UK Government has taken action to minimise the costs involved. In October 2012, we worked closely with Ofgem to introduce the Transmission Constraint Licence Condition, which ensures that generators are not able to profit unfairly at the expense of consumers. This has helped to halve the average unit constraint price for wind farms. In addition, the delivery of planned transmission reinforcements should help to reduce constraints.

Construction: Billing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent meetings officials his Department have had with the Federation of Master Builders on late payment of small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction sector.

Margot James: Officials meet the Federation of Master Builders on a regular basis, to discuss a range of issues relevant to the construction sector. These discussions include payment practices, as well as financial support for SME housebuilders on which a meeting is taking place shortly.

Construction: Billing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction sector which have had to wait more than four months for payment by their customers.

Margot James: The Department does not hold detailed information on delayed payments in the construction sector. The most comprehensive and up to date analysis of payment practices in the construction sector is the recently published BEIS research paper no.17 – Retentions in the Construction Sector. This research indicates that delays in paying retentions are commonplace and the extent of delay can be significantly longer for small and medium-sized construction enterprises. The research forms part of the ongoing consultations on construction payment practices.

Wind Power: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on allowing zero subsidy contract for difference on-shore wind farms in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



Established technologies such as onshore wind are reducing in cost and if this continues they may have the capacity to play a significant role in the UK’s generation mix going forward.No decisions have yet been taken on future Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation rounds for established technologies. It is right that we should focus support on those technologies where it is most needed, which is why we announced as part of the Clean Growth Strategy that up to £557m in total of annual funding would be made available for less established technologies such as offshore wind.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nigeria: Human Rights

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Nigeria.

Rory Stewart: Boko Haram have committed horrendous atrocities against communities in Nigeria and the wider region. We estimate that over 20,000 people have been killed by the group and thousands more have been abducted. The Nigerian armed forces have degraded Boko Haram, but the group remain a threat to security in the region. We are committed to supporting Nigeria and its neighbours in the fight against Boko Haram and are providing a package of military and intelligence support.We are also concerned by credible reports of human rights violations by the Nigerian security forces. We continually make clear to the Nigerian authorities the importance of upholding standards for all, including protecting civilians in conflict areas and detention. The military support that we are providing is designed not only to counter terrorism, but also to improve human rights standards.We welcome President Buhari's commitment to improve the human rights situation, for example, his commitment to overhaul the Nigerian armed force's rules of engagement and to ensure that violations by the security forces are investigated and appropriate action is taken. Nevertheless, despite positive steps, more needs to be done. We continue to work with the Nigerian government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve the security situation and human rights for all in Nigeria.

Nigeria: Human Rights

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Nigeria on the protection of (a) LGBT rights, (b) other human rights and (c) freedom of speech.

Rory Stewart: We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities that the UK opposes any form of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and any form of legislation that persecutes people on the basis of their sexual orientation. This has included opposition to Nigeria's Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill which we believe infringes the fundamental rights of expression and association, guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and by international treaty obligations. We regularly make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of upholding human rights standards for all, including freedom of speech.

Nigeria: Christianity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the number of Nigerian Christians who have been killed in Nigeria in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information on the number of Nigerian Christians who have been killed in Nigeria, but it is clear that, in the North East, Boko Haram have caused immense suffering in both Christian and Muslim communities. We are fully committed to helping Nigeria and its neighbours in the fight against Boko Haram. We are providing a substantial package of military, intelligence and humanitarian support to Nigeria and its neighbours. This includes training and advice for Nigerian armed forces deploying against Boko Haram and £5 million to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).Nigeria also faces the challenge of inter-communal clashes involving pastoralists and local farmers, particularly in central Nigeria. We continue to call on all parties to find a peaceful solution to the underlying causes of these incidents, and welcome President Buhari's commitment to ending this inter-communal violence.

Sudan: Human Rights

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the UN Human Rights Council's 36th Session Report, on human rights in Sudan, whether the Government supports the position of the UN Human Rights Council to plan for the eventual transition of the Independent Expert's mandate from that of Independent Expert to another appropriate UN human rights mechanism.

Rory Stewart: The UK welcomed the renewal of the mandate for the Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council in September. The resolution that renewed the mandate made clear that any transition of the mandate must be underpinned by an improvement in the human rights situation in Sudan, and the British Government supports this position.Sudan remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and improving human rights is a key objective of our engagement with Sudan. We used the fourth session of the Strategic Dialogue on 16 October to raise our concerns directly with the Government of Sudan, and to encourage them to meet their international obligations.

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies: Tax Avoidance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which heads of Government in the (a) Overseas Territories and (b) Crown dependencies he has contacted since the release of the Paradise Papers.

Sir Alan Duncan: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



The Foreign Secretary has not held any discussions with the heads of Government of the Overseas Territories or Crown Dependencies since the release of leaked data by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Conditions of Employment

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure the maintenance of employment rights in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has firmly committed to protecting workers’ rights, and to extending those rights when that is the right choice for the UK. The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will ensure that workers’ rights enjoyed under EU law will continue to be available in UK law after we have left the EU. However, we do not need to be part of the EU to have strong protections for workers. The UK already goes beyond EU minimum standards in a number of employment areas, such as entitlement to annual leave, paid parental leave and provisions for flexible working. According to health and safety at work statistics, the UK is one of the safest places to work in the EU, based on its proportionate and risk-based approach to health and safety regulation.

Aerospace Industry

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the benefits and opportunities available to the British aerospace industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK is a world leading exporter in civil aerospace, with key strengths in some of the most complex parts of aircraft including engines, wings, and advanced systems such as landing gear. Through Government’s regular dialogue with the UK aerospace industry, we are aware of a range of opportunities the UK’s exit from the European Union may present for the sector. To ensure the aerospace sector retains the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets, we are seeking a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement as part of a new, deep and special partnership with the EU. The UK will continue to benefit from membership of the WTO Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft. Moreover, the Government will build an ambitious trade policy based on the UK’s national interest which will provide greater access to overseas markets.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Freedom of Information

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to his Department's Freedom of information response DEX000585 of 29 September 2017, on sector studies, on which date each of the studies in the initial exercise was completed.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department has been carrying out sectoral analysis since the referendum. This has resulted in a wide mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis which is contained in a range of documents developed at different times since the referendum. The analysis examines the nature of activity in the sectors and is constantly evolving and being updated both by our department and in other departments.

Department for International Development

Kenya: Visits Abroad

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the cost to the public purse was of the visit to Kenya by the Secretary of State for International Development on 7 to 8 November 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: Information on Ministerial Travel is published as part of DFID’s quarterly transparency return on www.gov.uk.

Department for Education

Education: Exports

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made to meet the target to increase UK education exports to £30 billion by 2020.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it remains the Government's policy to increase UK education exports to £30 billion by 2020.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 16 October 2017



The target of increasing the value of education exports to £30bn by 2020 was set in 2015 under the previous government. The target is rightly ambitious and the Department for Education remains committed to working with the rest of government and the sector to driving progress towards achieving it. This Government continues to support growth in UK education exports, including through the work of the team dedicated to education exports in the Department for International Trade (DIT), who have recently announced the establishment of a DIT Education Sector Advisory Board, chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier), and which will support the aspirations of the sector internationally.  The Government actively promotes study in the UK through the GREAT Campaign and through the British Council, which promotes the UK in over 100 countries. The UK attracts high numbers of overseas students, second only to the USA in terms of our market share, and there continues to be no limit to the number who can come here to study.

Pupils: Personal Records

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what legal advice her Department has received on meeting data protection requirements to provide information to parents and children about the collection of children's data for the national pupils database.

Nick Gibb: The Department seeks legal advice as and when necessary in relation to data collection and usage. The Department informs parents and children about how their data is used via GOV.UK. The Department also recognises that for many parents their main point of contact is with schools. Schools are data controllers in their own right, and must take responsibility for ensuring that parents and pupils are aware of what data is collected and why. The Department helps schools to do that by publishing suggested wording for schools’ privacy notices. These notices include links to the department’s website on GOV.UK and are regularly updated to keep in line with best practice, with the importance of them regularly communicated to schools.

Higher Education: Admissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) mature and (b) part-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds have entered higher education in England in each year since 2008-09.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many England-domiciled (a) full-time and (b) part-time undergraduate students entered higher education institutions in England from disadvantaged areas to study in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2015-16.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes data on the number of individuals enrolled in and entering higher education courses. This includes information on the area each student lived in before they entered university, which is used as a proxy for disadvantage.This growth in participation is seen in the latest disadvantaged entry rates published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, which show that in 2016 young people from the most disadvantaged areas were 43% more likely to enter full-time higher education than they were in 2009 (19.5%, up from 13.6%).In 2011/12, 41,405 full-time English-domiciled undergraduate students from low participation areas (defined as being in the lowest quintile of the POLAR3 classification) entered English higher education institutions. The equivalent figure for 2015/16 was 44,285, representing a 7% increase in full-time undergraduate entrants from low participation areas between 2011/12 and 2015/16.In 2011/12, 30,845 part-time English-domiciled undergraduate students from low participation areas entered English higher education institutions. The equivalent figure for 2015/16 was 16,330, representing a 47% decrease in part-time undergraduate entrants from low participation areas between 2011/12 and 2015/16.Information for all years since 2008/09 could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the department. Information for the years 2011/12 and 2015/16 has been provided, in line with PQ 109021.More detailed counts of students (including numbers of mature students) can be found in the table provided.



English domiciled entrants registered at HEIs
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.42 KB)

Overseas Students

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students from (a) India, (b) Nigeria, (c) Germany, (d) France, (e) Ireland, (f) Greece, (g) Saudi Arabia and (h) Poland have studied in the UK in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions. The number of student enrolments from the requested countries in the latest three academic years for which data are available has been provided in the table below. Statistics for the academic year 2016/17 will come available from HESA in January 2018.Higher Education Enrolments by Country of Domicile  UK Higher Education Institutions   Academic Years 2013/14 to 2015/16Academic Year   2013/142014/152015/16 India19,75018,32016,745 Nigeria18,02017,92016,100 Germany 14,06013,67513,425 France11,50011,95512,525 Ireland 11,49010,90510,245 Greece 10,67010,1309,790 Saudi Arabia9,0608,5958,570 Poland5,2005,2455,655 Source: HESA student recordNotes:Numbers rounded to the nearest multiple of five.Numbers include all modes, levels and across all years of study.

Care Leavers: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers there were in (a) West Sussex and (b) Mid Sussex constituencies in 2015-16; and how many of those care leavers were not in education, employment or training at that time.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the Department does not hold data on the parliamentary constituency of care leavers, so the information requested is not available for Mid Sussex constituency. Data on the activity of care leavers is only available for those aged up to and including 21 years.The number of care leavers aged 19 to 21 years old in West Sussex in 2015-16 was 305, of which 125 were not in education, employment or training.For care leavers aged 17 to 18 years old, of the 135 who were in West Sussex, 50 were not in education, employment or training. Information on care leavers aged 17 and 18 years old was collected for the first time for the year ending 31 March 2016 and is published as experimental statistics. These figures were published in 2016 in the statistical release “Children looked after in England including adoption: 2015 to 2016 (SFR 41/2016)”, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff appointed after 24 June 2016 in his Department hold a post that includes work on the UK leaving the EU.

Chloe Smith: EU exit affects a number of work areas across the Department and will therefore encompass a proportion of workload for many staff, the amount of which will vary over time. The Department has recently restructured its approach to the way it handles EU exit work, moving from a central EU exit co-ordinating team of 7 to a position in which core EU exit work is distributed more widely across the whole department.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Breeding: Game

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many visits to English and Welsh pheasant and partridge game farms the Animal and Plant Health Agency made in each of the last five years for which figures are available; how many breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and its Code of Practice for Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes were discovered during those visits; what those breaches were; and what action was taken to address each such breach.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is only able to provide information relating to ‘Game Birds’ from June 2014. However, this data does not make any distinction between pheasant or partridge farms. No comparable figures are available prior to 2014. The attached table provides the statistics covering the number of visits, number of breaches, type of breach and action taken. 



Welfare Inspections
(PDF Document, 439.25 KB)

Trees: Imports

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2017 to Question 108716, on trees: imports, what powers the UK Plant Health Authority has to ban imports of trees carrying harmful organisms.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Plant Health (England) Order 2015 and the Plant Health (Forestry) Order 2005 provide the statutory framework for preventing the introduction of pests and control action in the event of outbreaks and cover many harmful organisms affecting tree health. Similar legislation is in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.   Under the Orders the import of harmful organisms, plants and plant products that pose a serious plant health risk is prohibited. They also provide for additional measures to be introduced, including a ban on import, where new specific threats are identified or where existing measures have proved deficient.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff appointed after 24 June 2016 in his Department hold a post that includes work on the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: Over 80% of Defra’s agenda is affected by the UK’s departure from the European Union and as a result, many roles across the Defra group are now supporting work related to the UK’s departure from the EU, either directly or indirectly. We continue to keep our resourcing plans under review, focusing both on recruitment and increasing the capability of new and existing staff. Defra has recruited over 550 additional staff, comprising both policy generalists and specialists of whom around 400 have already taken up post. The majority of these new staff are employed in the central department where they are working on a range of projects to enable a successful withdrawal from the EU.

Playgrounds: Air Pollution

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of playgrounds which are within 150 metres of roads with above legal levels of air pollution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Department does not hold this information. Data from monitoring sites is available on https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk Local authorities can choose where to monitor air quality.

Sugar Beet: East of England

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the economic contribution of the British sugar beet industry to the East of England.

George Eustice: We have estimated that in 2016 the Eastern region produced sugar beet with a value of £100 million. This is based on regional farm statistics which are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-english-regions.

Home Office

Passports: Lost Property

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports sent out by the Home Office have been lost in the post in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The table below shows the number of UK passports lost during delivery for both the UK and overseas for the last five years.Her Majesty’s Passport Office records and cancels any passport lost through delivery, and the customer is issued with a new passport at no extra cost.YearLossesTotal Volume Printed% Losses against Printed20123125,315,4650.00620132655,609,5300.00520142786,228,8670.00420153756,762,8980.00620164726,880,9270.007

Asylum: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unaccompanied child asylum seekers in France eligible to care in the UK under the (a) Dubs Amendment and (b) Dublin III Regulations are aware of their rights.

Brandon Lewis: In 2016, we transferred over 900 unaccompanied children to the UK from Europe, including more than 750 from France. However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French authorities. It is vital that children claim asylum in France rather than risking their lives by attempting to enter the UK illegally. That is the fastest route to safety. The Dublin III Regulation allows unaccompanied children who have claimed asylum in another Member State to be transferred here to have their asylum claim assessed if they have a qualifying family member legally present in the UK and transfer would be in their best interests. We continue to work closely with France, other EU Member States and partners to ensure the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation, including through regular dialogue and meetings. We are fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified number of 480 children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. As set out in the published guidance, it is for France to refer children to the UK. We have invited referrals of children who meet the eligibility criteria that they were present in Europe before 20 March 2016 and transfer is in their best interests. In deciding which children to refer, Member States, including France, have been asked to prioritise those likely to qualify for refugee status and/or the most vulnerable. Over 200 children are already here, including transfers this year from France. More eligible children will be transferred from Europe under the scheme in due course.

Counter-terrorism: Finance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's advertisement for a Lead Commissioner for Counter Extremism, published on 17 September 2017, who the 90 civil society groups are which are cited as having been funded; which regions each of those groups operate in; how much each such group was funded for; and what type of extremism each such group tackles.

Victoria Atkins: We have awarded £6 million of Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) funding to 136 projects delivered by 126 civil society groups. Groups can make multiple applications, with a maximum value for each of £50,000 for a grant application and £75,000 for in-kind support. All civil society groups in receipt of BSBT funding are working to tackle extremism as defined in the Counter Extremism Strategy. A list of the groups and the region(s) they are operating in can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/building-a-stronger-britain-together.

Domestic Violence: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to take account of (a) the views of advocacy organisations and (b) regional trends in Northern Ireland for the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill.

Victoria Atkins: To inform the development of legislative proposals to tackle domestic abuse, we will be publishing a public consultation later this year, and welcome responses from anyone who wishes to contribute, including from specialist domestic abuse organisations.We are keen to take in to account experience from across the UK, and have already engaged with officials in Northern Ireland to this end.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, how many project licence applications the Home Office rejected in 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office does not keep records of project licence applications that have been rejected or withdrawn at either the concept or the drafting stage of the application process. The Secretary of State has not rejected any of the recommendations for granting project licences made by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors between 2014 and 2016.

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of regulated animal procedures conducted in 2016 were funded, or part-funded, by registered charities.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of regulated animal procedures which are funded, or part-funded, by registered charities.

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce use of live animals in experiments.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternative exists, and under controls which keep suffering to the minimum. This is achieved through robustly applying the principles of the 3Rs which require that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible; that the number of animals used is reduced to the minimum needed to achieve the results sought; and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

Convictions: Children

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will reduce the qualifying period for filterable childhood convictions from five and a half years.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will propose reforms to the system for disclosure of youth criminal records to remove barriers to rehabilitation.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a new approach for disclosing the criminal records of young adults.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will replace the single list of non-filterable offences with customised lists relevant to broad areas of employment, professional activity and licences.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will remove the rule preventing the filtering of multiple convictions.

Victoria Atkins: The Government’s criminal record disclosure regime seeks to strike a balance between safeguarding children and vulnerable people and enabling young offenders to put their offending behind them. Under the disclosure rules, convictions and cautions received in youth are accordingly already subject to disclosure for significantly reduced periods in comparison to those received as an adult. The Government will be considering carefully the recommendations made by the Justice Select Committee in their report on the disclosure of youth criminal records, alongside the review by David Lammy MP into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system. The Government is also considering recommendations made by Charlie Taylor in his review of the Youth Justice System in England and Wales as well as broader safeguarding considerations. The Government keeps filtering rules under constant review. We will respond to reports pertaining to disclosure fully in due course.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has commissioned any reports into the use of medical marijuana.

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies she has licensed to investigate the use of medical cannabis as a medicine.

Mr Nick Hurd: No licences have been granted to companies to investigate the use of medicinal or ‘herbal’ cannabis in its raw form and nor has the Home Office commissioned any reports into medical cannabis. The World Health Organisation’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence has committed to reviewing the scheduling of cannabis under the UN’s 1961 Convention. This is due to consider the therapeutic use as well as dependence and the potential to abuse constituent parts of cannabis.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK citizens returning to the UK after joining Daesh in (a) Syria and (b) Iraq have been (i) interviewed under caution and (ii) charged with criminal offences.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office Statistical Bulletin on the Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation publishes data about convictions quarterly but does not distinguish those which relate to Syria, Iraq and Daesh. British Citizens who are investigated and charged with offences relating to the conflict in Syria and Iraq will be prosecuted in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.Although official figures do not show how many were Syria, Iraq or Daesh related, of the 105 persons charged with a terrorism-related offence in the year ending June 2017, 33 had been prosecuted (as at the time of data provision to the Home Office, 14 July 2017), 32 of which were found guilty. A further 68 were awaiting prosecution.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any non-human primates that were previously housed at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen, Germany, which was the subject of an investigation and forced to end its research on non-human primates earlier in 2017, have been received in the UK between December 2016 and present.

Mr Ben  Wallace: On 1st January 2013, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was amended to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The amended legislation has no requirement to request prior permission to import non-human primates acquired from overseas breeding centres. Therefore, the Home Office does not hold the information requested.

Visas: Married People

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure UK residents are not being charged £1.37 a minute rate applied to non-UK residents over and above network charges to access her Department's spousal visa helpline.

Brandon Lewis: For overseas customers, UK Visas and Immigration have a chargeable call rates of £1.37 per minute, this charge is levied to fund the contact centre commercial contract as the UK government believes it is right that those who use and benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution towards meeting the costs of the immigration system. Those who use the services from outside the UK are predominantly prospective customers and in many cases no application will be made and no application fee collected. For UK Visas and Immigration in–country customers the contact centres provide information about the Immigration Rules and the Points Based System requirements via a number of published customer enquiry line numbers. In 2014, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, UKVI changed all 0845 and 0870 prefix helpline numbers to lower call tariff rate 0300 prefix numbers. UKVI do not generate any income from these non-geographic numbers enquiry lines. UKVI have in place self selection pages on the Gov.uk website (see link below), as well as effective use of informative telephony message on our help lines to further ensure and assist customers wanting to contact UKVI. This initial triaging activity on our website ensures customers are provided with the correct point of contact within our business regarding their in country or overseas application enquiry. https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk  UKVI have no imminent plans to increase the call charges on either the in country or overseas enquiry line numbers. Our web site www.gov.uk is the main source of information and is free of charge.

HM Treasury

Valuation Office Agency: Telephone Services

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) average and (b) longest time taken to answer telephone calls from the public was at the Valuation Office in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: The average time for the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to answer telephone calls from the public in the last 12 months is 3 minutes 58 seconds. The longest time taken to answer a call in the last 12 months was 1 hour 4 minutes on 11th April. Delays of this length are very uncommon. April 2017 was a particularly busy period due to business rates revaluation and introduction of the new business rates appeal system in England. In the last 12 months, February 2017 was the month with the highest average call wait time, of 5 minutes 53 seconds.

Business: Loans

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the proportion of (a) businesses whose lending and (b) funds lent to businesses which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to extend the business lending element of the regulatory framework of the Financial Conduct Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is committed to extending the regulatory perimeter only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that would ultimately lead to higher costs for businesses. However, unincorporated sole traders and small partnerships borrowing less than £25,000 do receive regulatory protection. In practice, the effect of this is that the smallest SMEs are more likely than not to receive regulatory protections when borrowing. The Financial Conduct Authority estimated in their 2015 Discussion Paper “Our approach to SMEs as users of financial services” that between 2010 and 2014, 41% of all the loans and overdrafts applied for by SMEs could potentially fall within the regulatory perimeter

Fuels: Excise Duties

Bim Afolami: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the total sum of revenue that it has forgone due to the successive freezes to fuel duty since 2011.

Andrew Jones: Based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) published policy costings, we estimate the cumulative loss to the Exchequer from the successive fuel duty freezes from financial year 2011-12 to the current financial year 2017-18 to be around £37.2bn. The annual impacts on the Exchequer are reported in the table below.   2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Exchequer impact (£m)-2,275-3,465-4,645-5,800-6,375-6,805-7,825 Past decisions on freezes will also incur future losses to the Exchequer in years beyond 2017-18. The OBR’s costings of previously announced policies currently extend to 2021-22, and the future impact of these announced freezes in fuel duty to that year is estimated to be around £34.2bn.The future annual impacts are set out in the table below.2018-192019-202020-212021-22Exchequer impact (£m)-8,095-8,370-8,685-9,030 The OBR’s policy costings are available at the following link: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/download/policy-measures-database/

Cabinet Office

Duchy of Lancaster: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the honourable member to my answer given on 19 th July to PQ 5019.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what amount of his Department's annual expenditure is allocated to work relating to the UK's exit from the EU.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the honourable member to my answer given on 25 th July to PQ 5371.

Government Communication Service

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to which countries the Knowledge and Capability Unit of the Government Communication Service has deployed (a) staff and (b) experts since 2015.

Caroline Nokes: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has conducted deployments of (a) staff and (b) experts to Georgia, Ukraine, Tunisia, Montenegro, Belgium (NATO), Jordan and Afghanistan.

Government Communication Service

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8718, on Government Communication Service, in which country the five projects were based; what the cost of each such project was; and what estimate he has made of the value of each project to the public purse.

Caroline Nokes: The cost of each completed project in Georgia, Ukraine, Tunisia, Montenegro and NATO was £42,225, £205,512, £993,500, £74,848 and £26,260 respectively. All projects directly support UK foreign policy objectives.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7037, on Civil Service recruitment, what the other initiatives are which are hoped to bring positive impacts to the diversity of Civil Service recruitment.

Caroline Nokes: The Civil Service remains committed to becoming the most inclusive employer in the UK, these commitments are set out in the Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy attached, and also available in the house library. The Strategy sets out how we will build on work delivered as part of the Talent Action Plan to improve the representation of under-represented groups and encourage inclusive behaviours. These priorities will be underpinned by a greater focus on accountability and assurance to deliver better outcomes for a diverse UK.The Civil Service aims to be at the forefront of the diversity and inclusion agenda, leading the way in developing diverse and inclusive practices, policies and cultures. For example;To drive the changes in representation, each department will set targets on the flow of ethnic minority staff and disabled staff into their SCS.A Diverse Leadership Task Force will be established to identify, recruit and develop people with Permanent Secretary potential from ethnic minority and disabled backgrounds.The ground breaking Ethnicity Diversity Programme will enable greater innovation and the spread of best practice on increasing the representation of ethnic minorities within our talent pipelines.The Disability Inclusion Programme will intensify efforts towards having a fair representation of disabled people at all levels but particularly the SCS.Industry standard metrics for inclusion across the Civil Service and other employers across the UK will be established.Inclusion will be seen as an essential leadership skill at senior levels in the Civil Service, but also as a basic core skill that all staff should demonstrate. Quality standards for inclusive leadership will be established and incorporated into the competency framework.

Public Sector: Cybercrime

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many successful cyber attacks on public services took place in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Caroline Nokes: Government does not hold centrally the number of cyber attacks against public services. Each department manages incidents which affect the services they are responsible for. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has investigated 590 significant incidents, defined as events which may impact the UK’s national security or economic wellbeing, across the public and private sectors in its first year. The NCSC provides a unified source of advice and support to the public sector making it more resilient to the ever present cyber threat.

Ministry of Justice: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8273, what proportion of the potential savings referred to have accrued to the public purse; and what estimate he has made of the amount of savings still to accrue.

Caroline Nokes: This strategy is being further developed with departments as part of the wider work in our business case preparation. The GPA continues to work closely with government departments and are committed to carrying out internal assurance and audit of the evidence to support conditions, articulate potential savings to the tax payer precedent for Go-Live.

Government Departments: WiFi

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Wifi-enabled devices issued to Government employees are reliant on the WPA2 standard.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Government departments utilise the WPA2 standard on their WiFi networks.

Caroline Nokes: Government Wi-Fi devices and networks use industry-standard security technologies, including WPA2, in line with good security practice. Internet security is a key priority for the National Cyber Security Centre, who continuously update their advice on issues such as Wi-Fi safety, device management and browser security, and make this available on their website. Government also recommends a ‘defence in depth’ approach to security where no single control is relied upon exclusively.

Immigration: Republic of Ireland

Jim McMahon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of Irish nationals living in the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 65.06 KB)

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 7512, on cybercrime, what the four services referred to in that Answer are.

Caroline Nokes: The four Active Cyber Defence services are described in the National Cyber Security Centre’s Annual Review, published on 3 October 2017. They include working in partnership with industry to implement a series of measures, such as a protective DNS service for public sector to prevent unwitting exposure to known malware and phishing sites. Furthermore, the government will deploy email authenticity measures on government domains to help prevent phishing activity that relies on ‘spoofing’, and encourage industry to do likewise. We will scale up and enhance disruption activities that we already undertake for cyber crime and we have launched a service to help public sector bodies find simple vulnerabilities in their websites.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Damian Green: The Government is carrying out an ongoing programme of comprehensive analytical work that will inform our negotiating position with the EU, to define our deep and special partnership with the EU and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks Cabinet Office is working with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure the delivery of a holistic programme of analysis across government.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contingency funding his Department has allocated in relation to the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU for the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20 financial years.

Damian Green: Holding answer received on 30 October 2017



Forecasts for Brexit-related costs are embedded in the Cabinet Office’s budget.

Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning in (a) England and (b) each English region in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 132.74 KB)

EU Nationals: Emigration

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of non-UK EU citizens who have left the UK since 23 June 2016.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 105.78 KB)

Employment: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of workers were in (a) part-time employment and (b) zero hours contracts in each (i) local authority area and (ii) constituency in Wales in each of the last 12 months.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 142.74 KB)

Domicil

Patrick Grady: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he maintains a record of the number of British citizens domiciled in the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 66.13 KB)

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 7512, on cybercrime, how public sector organisations pay to use services provided by the National Cyber Security Centre.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 7512, on cybercrime, how National Cyber Security Centre services will be extended and which public and private sector organisations will be targeted.

Caroline Nokes: Services provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), including advisory services and technical services such as Active Cyber Defence (ACD), as outlined in Section 5.1.3 of the National Cyber Security Strategy, do not require payment from public or private sector organisations. Each of these services are being developed to differing timescales with the NCSC issuing communications to public and private sectors at key milestones. The NCSC’s Annual Review, published on 3 October 2017, provided an update on rollout of ACD.

Government Departments: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-UK EU nationals ended their employment in Government Departments between 23 June 2016 and 30 September 2017.

Caroline Nokes: The Civil Service does not routinely collect information on the nationality of civil servants. The information requested is not held centrally.

Public Sector: ICT

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether blockchain technologies are used in the public sector.

Caroline Nokes: Government is researching potential use cases, and engaging with suppliers about the best use of blockchain technologies with a view to how they might drive efficiencies and support transformation.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to extend the voting rights of UK citizens who are resident overseas in UK elections and referendums.

Mike Gapes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to guarantee votes for life in UK elections and referendums for all UK citizens living abroad.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the Member for Halifax (Ms Lynch) on Thursday 7 September 2017 to written question 6973.

Local Government: Elections

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the electoral system for local government elections in England to the single transferrable vote system; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-established for local government elections in England. The current system provides a clear and well-understood link between the electorate and the council.The Government committed in its manifesto to extend the First Past the Post system to mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, and has no plans to change the current arrangements for local government elections.

Census: Armed Forces

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing questions in 2021 census on (a) military service and (b) membership of the Armed Forces community.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 111.81 KB)

Electoral Systems

Thelma Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to consult the public on the merits of alternative methods to the first past the post system for voting in general elections.

Chris Skidmore: The Government committed in its manifesto to retain the First Past the Post system for Parliamentary elections.The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-established here. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected. The current system also provides a clear and well-understood link between constituents and their representative in Parliament.The Government does not, therefore, have plans to change the voting system at the present time.

Ministers: Autobiography

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is a right to appeal against use of the Radcliffe exclusion rule.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the relevant sections of ministerial or civil service guidance on the Radcliffe exclusion rule.

Damian Green: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 23 October 2017 [109149]. Considerations of exclusions are part of this process.

Ministers: Autobiography

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Radcliffe exclusion rule recommended by the Radcliffe Committee of Enquiry into Civil Service Security Procedure remains in force; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: The then Prime Minister (Mr Blair) announced to the House on 19 June 1997 (Col WA 246) the creation of the independent Security Vetting Appeals Panel, to hear appeals against the refusal or withdrawal of security clearance. The establishment of the Panel, chaired by a senior retired member of the judiciary, brought to an end the role of the Three Advisers who, since 1948, had been available to consider cases where security clearance was refused or withdrawn on the grounds of subversion. In his statement to Parliament on 27 July 2010, the Prime Minister (Mr Cameron) set out HMG policy on security vetting underlining its critical importance in protecting UK interests and its application to those with access to sensitive Government assets. The Government continues to attach importance to security vetting as part of its work to protect the country and its citizens, but it recognises the rights of individuals to appeal against adverse decisions internally and, if they are aggrieved about the outcome, to appeal to the Panel.

Cabinet Office: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those childcare facilities in the last year; and how many staff members use those childcare facilities.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office do support the provision of childcare facilities for employees. If staff are based in London, they can apply for a place on the Westminster Holiday Playscheme which is provided by a third party. Children aged 4 years 9 months to 12 years are eligible to attend the playscheme, which runs during school holidays. If staff are based outside London and use a playscheme close to their home, the department will help with the cost of using the playscheme as long as the supplier is registered to provide childcare services. The cost of the playscheme is shared between the department and the parent. Overall expenditure on the playscheme facilities for last financial year 2016/17 totalled £2,828.00The department contributed an average of £78.56 per child during financial year 16/17, with a total of 27 staff using the facilities.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what performance information the Government collects on its contracts with strategic suppliers; and how frequently such information is collected.

Caroline Nokes: The Crown Representatives regularly monitor the performance of Government contracts with strategic suppliers through the Commercial Relationships Board. The Board meets on a six weekly basis. The terms of reference for this board, and how performance is specifically monitored, is contained in the Strategic Supplier Risk Management Policy:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80222/20121108_Strategic_Supplier_Risk_Management_Policy.pdf

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a memorandum of understanding exists between the Government and each of its strategic suppliers.

Caroline Nokes: Government does not hold a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with every Strategic Supplier to Government, but promotes a publicly available Supplier Code of Conduct:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/646497/2017-09-13_Official_Sensitive_Supplier_Code_of_Conduct_September_2017.pdf The code sets out the ethical standards and behaviours expected from suppliers of goods and services to government. Strategic Suppliers Oracle and Microsoft hold specific software MOUs with the Crown Commercial Service.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for how many strategic suppliers his Department collects quarterly suppliers returns.

Caroline Nokes: The current list of Strategic Suppliers is published on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-suppliers Cabinet Office collects quarterly supplier returns for all of these suppliers.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) capacity of Crown Representatives to strategic suppliers to undertake their duties in relation to that strategic suppliers role in addition to their other responsibilities.

Caroline Nokes: We consistently receive positive feedback on the role the Crown Representatives provide to Government departments and suppliers, and can adapt and change the programme to meet any additional requirements.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the public purse disbursed in contracts with Government strategic suppliers in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: Government does not currently publish aggregated spend with Government Strategic Suppliers. However, details of contracts placed with these companies can be found on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015can be viewed at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of EU-EEA citizens living in the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 67.89 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the new staff he announced for his Department and across Government for 2017-18, which Departments those staff will be recruited to; what grades they will be recruited at; and what their professions will be.

Caroline Nokes: The whole of Government is preparing for the UK to make an orderly and successful exit from the European Union, and we are equipping ourselves with the right people and the right skills across Government to make this happen. Whilst workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each department to determine based on their individual operational and policy requirements, the Civil Service constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s commitment to leave the EU and get the very best deal for the UK. Civil Service HR is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union to support departments, functions and professions in continuing to develop plans to address their emerging capacity and capability requirements.

Government Departments: Procurement

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of Government procurement from small and medium-sized enterprises.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 17 th October in response to Question UIN 107413.

Voting Rights: Young People

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the voting age to 16 and the effect such a change would have on democratic participation.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the Member for Easington (Mr Morris) on Wednesday 28 June 2017 to written question 358.

Low Pay: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people in work in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) the North West and (c) Denton and Reddish constituency earn less than the full-time equivalent of the national living wage.

Chris Skidmore: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 111.85 KB)

Deloitte

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2017 to Question 109984, in public sector: cybercrime, if he will meet representatives of Deloitte to discuss the need for more timely reporting to Government.

Damian Green: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



Cabinet Office Ministers frequently meet with representatives from the private sector to discuss a range of issues including cyber security. There are no plans to meet with Deloitte specifically to discuss their reporting to government.It is at the discretion of the company to choose how they report to Government on significant cyber security incidents. The advice from the National Cyber Security Centre is that timely notification is beneficial.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Arbitration

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of establishing the trade remedies framework between January and August 2017.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade is still in the process of establishing a trade remedies framework and it will be subject to Parliamentary approval. Between January and August 2017, the Department invested resources to develop the policy, legislative and operational plans for a new trade remedies framework alongside its wider preparations for EU Exit.

USA: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act 1996.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his policy is on the potential inclusion of section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act 1996 in any US-UK free trade deal.

Greg Hands: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and I have regular contact with our US counterparts on a range of issues. However, we have had no discussions on Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act 1996.

Department of Health

Patients: Travel

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the average cost to the patient of travelling to and from a hospital appointment in (a) an urban and (b) a rural constituency.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the average time it takes a patient to travel to and from a hospital appointment in (a) an urban and (b) a rural constituency.

Steve Brine: This information is not centrally held.

Cancer

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on the implementation of the Cancer Strategy; and what resources from the public purse he has allocated for that implementation.

Steve Brine: NHS England has confirmed funding of £607 million between 2017/18 and 2020/21 to support delivery of the Cancer Strategy for England. Progress on implementation and the full investment in delivering the strategy is set out in the Progress Report for 2016/17 published in October 2017 at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/national-cancer-transformation-programme-2016-17-progress.pdf

Vitamin D: Dietary Supplements

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps Public Health England is taking to promote its guidance on the benefits to people of taking a daily vitamin D supplement in the autumn and winter months; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Public Health England ensured that the media and non-governmental organisations were fully briefed in advance of the publication of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report on vitamin D in 2016; this helped ensure that the advice was well publicised following publication:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-vitamin-d-and-health-reportAdvice continues to be communicated via the NHS Choices website and can be viewed here:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/In 2014, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produced public health guidance (PH56) on increasing vitamin D supplement use among population groups at risk of vitamin D deficiency. The guidance can be viewed here:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56

Dietary Supplements

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32737, on malnutrition, whether he plans to revise national guidance on food supplements.

Steve Brine: There are currently no plans to review national guidance on food supplements. Most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need from eating a diet consistent with the Eatwell Guide, provided by Public Health England. Supplements, therefore, are only recommended for a small number of population groups and advice is available on the NHS Choices website:https://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1122.aspx?categoryid=51

Colorectal Cancer

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the identification and management of Lynch syndrome.

Steve Brine: Testing for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer is targeted using criteria based on family history and age of cancer onset to determine those at highest risk. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance recommends extending this offer to all people with colorectal cancer when they are first diagnosed.

Colorectal Cancer

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote awareness and early diagnosis of bowel cancer.

Steve Brine: Public Health England’s (PHE) Be Clear on Cancer campaigns raise the public’s awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer, and are an important step in diagnosing cancers earlier. The Be Clear on Cancer Abdominal Symptoms pilot campaign aimed to raise awareness of a range of abdominal symptoms that can indicate a number of cancers, including bowel, and encouraged people to visit their doctor promptly. The first pilot ran earlier this year in the East and West Midlands and PHE is working with NHS England on timings and location for the second pilot phase. Earlier this year, PHE also collaborated with Cancer Research UK to deliver a pilot Be Clear on Cancer campaign in the North West of England to promote uptake of bowel screening; the campaign is currently being evaluated to assess its impact on uptake.

NHS: Pay

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to the NHS to finance the lifting of the NHS pay cap.

Mr Philip Dunne: The detail of 2018/19 pay remits for specific pay review bodies will be discussed and set out in due course. Any changes will need to be justified by evidence on recruitment and retention, or by productivity gains. The Department will continue to look at efficiency and value for money in our budgets.

North Devon Hospital

Peter Heaton-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS England on ensuring that the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust has adequate resources to deliver acute services at North Devon District Hospital.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government believes that local areas are best placed to assess local need and distribute resources accordingly. This year, Devon CCG received over £20m extra funding, as part of our commitment to invest an additional £8bn in the NHS by 2020-21. Devon STP has developed plans to deliver high-quality healthcare on a sustainable footing. An additional bespoke support package has been developed by NHS England to address local challenges.

Hospital Beds

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will end the policy of imposing financial penalties on local authorities which do not meet targets on transfers of care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No-one should stay in hospital longer than necessary. That is why we have invested an additional £2 billion over three years to support adult social care and reduce delayed transfers of care. We will look at performance data in November, to identify the poorest performers and agree what action to take. Whilst this includes looking at financial allocations for 2018-2019, we confirm that this funding will remain with local government, and be used for adult social care.

NHS: Finance

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS funding to meet patient need.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS leadership bodies have developed their own sustainable financial plans, which the Government is backing. Funding is set to increase in real terms by £8 billion per year by 2020-21, including a £1.8 billion Sustainability Fund for NHS trusts. This year, in real terms, NHS funding is £1.7 billion higher than last year, £5 billion higher than in 2015-16, and we have announced an additional £425 million to support our A&Es and locally-led STPs.

Strokes: Health Services

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the use of hyper-acute stroke units on patient outcomes.

Mr Philip Dunne: Centralising stroke care into a smaller number of larger units provides the opportunity to ensure that there are specialist nurses and doctors available to manage patients at all times, and provides immediate access to imaging and other investigatory facilities if required. Benefits of the system have been shown in Manchester and London with reduced mortality and more efficient use of resources. Most other parts of the country have implemented similar changes, or are planning to.

General Practitioners: Insurance

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on the development of a state-backed indemnity scheme for GPs.

Mr Philip Dunne: We recognise that the rising cost of indemnity cover is a source of concern for GPs. That is why, in October 2017, the Secretary of State announced that the Government would develop a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England. This complex piece of work is at an early stage. We are working with GP representatives and others to develop our plans over the next 12-18 months.

Pharmacy: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to community pharmacy budgets on the number of pharmacies.

Steve Brine: We are monitoring the market carefully and apart from the recent announcement by Lloyds Pharmacy there have been no significant closures since the introduction of the reforms. Access to Pharmaceutical Services is good with 88% of people falling within a 20 minute walk of a community pharmacy. For areas where there are fewer pharmacies our access scheme continues to provide additional protection. A growing number of internet pharmacies also support access, offering patients greater choice.